lento

we walked into lento tonight without a reservation...expecting a very long wait. we were pleasantly surprised tone seated right away. our waiter, beau, was excellent!! very knowledgeable, friendly and had perfect timing. therestaurantbecame very busy but we never felt rushed. we will definitely be going back. the farm to table food was excellent. we decided to share a few appetizers, oysters, soup and salad. my only regret was we weren't hungrier!! there were several dishes on the menu that looked very interesting, one more reason to go back again.

simply put: the most consistently deliciousrestaurantthat i've been to in rochester

what a fantastic birthday experience! fresh, local, sustainable. this is an up-and-coming gem. the service was impeccable. the food was fantastic, a blend of inspiring flavors and textures. we started with the duck fat frites and the foie gras appetizers. the foie was a melt-in-the-mouth experience. the only con to this dish was the chestnut-like garnish on top. they were difficult to chew, and overshadowed the delicate texture of the foie gras. but the appetizer was amazing, nonetheless. the duck fat frites were divine, and served with an accompanying creamy version of aioli sauce. we then enjoyed two salads. the beet and goat cheese salad had a tangy vinaigrette, while the gorgonzola and pear salad had fantastic flavor. we brought our own wine, a 2009 duckhorn cabernet; there is a $15 corking fee (no fee on wednesdays). the pear salad's flavor was even more pronounced with our wine, and was a perfect combo. my husband had the duck breast as an entree, while i enjoyed the strip steak. they were perfectly cooked as requested (medium rare). locally produced meats are amazing! and the bacon fat purée of potatoes with the strip steak can only be described as divine. for dessert, my husband had the homemade coffee ice cream. a must try! the culminating experience for me was my dessert: chocolate pot de creme. our chef wrote happy birthday in the cocoa powder on the plate below the dessert: a thoughtful, beautifully artistic touch! the first bite of this dessert transported me back to france, where as an exchange student i first tried chocolate mousse. pot de creme has the texture of a creme brûlée and pudding. divine. the chef gave us complimentary digestifs for my birthday... much appreciated! after a bottle of wine, i was unable to identify it... but tasted a lot like creme de cassis... or a super sweet port.
take thisrestaurantseriously, folks. it was not only the perfect birthday dinner, it provided my husband and i a level of ambiance we don't often enjoy with 4 young children at home. lento is definitely on our list of date night restaurants, and clearly seems to embrace and glorify the local and sustainable movement.

good food pricey. the food is very good with a creative approach. portions are small which is ok but the prices are on the high side. can not figure out why there would be a $2.00 up charge for an extra dry tanqueray martini. three dollars for a cup of tea is pricey. service was very good but therestaurantwas not very full on a saturday night @ 6:30. that indicates a problem.

ok atmosphere, bad service, baaad food.. thisrestaurantseemed to have a hip atmosphere, but after spending the night there, i just felt like they were trying too hard to be hip. after spending a decent amount on dinner, getting our bill on a clothespin just seemed cheap, but what killed the experience was the quality of food. it seemed very overpriced for the quality. my husband ordered the potato pancakes and they were overcooked and dry and the spices were all off. the service was poor as well. our glasses were refilled only once and after telling our server that we were dissapointed in the food, we were not offered any sort of compensation. we will not be going back.

an amazing valentine's day meal. i am a recent vegetarian, and my confirmed carnivore husband took me to the best veggierestauranthe could find in rochester: lento. we were not disappointed; true, we are not used to high-class dining, and the prices were a bit steep, but the quality and experience was well worth the price. i was disappointed that they were out of the one vegetarian (actually vegan) main course that i had wanted, but this worked out well for me in the end as i just ordered a starter, 2 appetizers, and a salad----more than enough! our meal began with some lovely fresh bread and peppered extra virgin olive oil for dipping. i had the 3 cheeses with grilled nut bread and it was amazing----the smoked mozzarella was not particularly to my taste, but the goat cheese and the brie were divine: flavors like i've never experienced before. my husband's duck liver pate was equally well enjoyed. my "main course" of goat cheese tart and chickpea-battered vegetables was very nice; the tart was very flavorful and moist, and served with fresh greens drizzled with balsamic vinegar----light and delicious. the chickpea-battered local vegetables were deceptive: they look like common bar fried snacks, but they were light as a feather without the slightest hint of greasiness or taste of "old oil" about them. the asian-inspired dipping sauce served with them was delicious. my house salad was tender greens served with a balsamic vinegairette---not particularly avant garde, but pleasing. my husband had a duo of lamb with rice and his plate was cleaned at the end of the meal. we shared a decadent chocolate mousse cake after dinner----truly scrumptious, and a recommendation from our server. the service was attentive, friendly, not stuffy but not over-bearing, quick, and knowledgable. i would eat at lento again in a heartbeat, if i could afford to! as it is, this will be our "special dinner" place.

yuck.. no offense lento- but what the hell?
i looked up thisrestaurantonline, looking for somewhere a little more upscale that offered vegetarian options. lento at first seemed to fit the bill. our wine was very good and the atmosphere was interesting- then the appetizers arrived. skimpy arugula salad with a drizzle of dressing and "chickpea battered local vegetables".. which really resembled deep fried bar-quality onion rings, peppers and broccoli. while ordering, we consulted our overly bubbly waitress who replied that both the vegetarian gumbo and butternut squash ravioli were great. we chose the gumbo. big. mistake. the presentation was sloppy and it tasted like it was drenched in liquid smoke flavoring. on the first bite we both decided we couldn't eat it (neither of us is a picky eater and are used to "healthy tasting" vegetarian food). when our bubbly waitress came back to see how we were doing, we both replied that we were sorry, but we really disliked the dish. instead of offering any kind of alternative, the waitress said "yeah, a lot of people don't like the smoky flavor, i've never had it before so i don't know", then walked away.
we sat there working our way through the miserable mush in front of us and then decided to give up. should have stayed home and made some ramen... thank good the wine was good. don't go here.

by far our favoriterestaurantin the city. fresh foods and ideas, amazing drinks, and a knowledgable staff. they recently had a scotch tasting paired with 5 course meal which was fun and delicious. can't get that type of meal anywhere in the city. only negative is the wine list, but their drink options make up for it.

vegan? skip lento.. quick breakdown for you compassionate eaters out there: ambience - poor. price - ridiculous. food - substandard. service - really good, actually. recommendation - save yourself two hours and 56 bucks by making a plate of pbj sandwiches.

lento bills several of its dishes as vegan. while this may certainly be true of the ingredients, one of the key ingredients of great compassionate cuisine is missing -namely, taste.

for some time, my girlfriend and i had been hearing rave reviews about lento from veg*ns and omnivores alike, and wanted to try it for some time. after several months of procrastinating, we finally made it out to the village gate. personally, i think urbanspoon should throw lento out of its "vegetarian" category altogether so that other hapless veg*ns don't make the same mistake as i and drop sixty bucks (with tip) on substandard food. while i appreciate the chef's intentions -- which i assume to be a menu inclusive of all dietary choices -- i would prefer that he/she stick to preparing things that taste good, and not simply make a "best effort" at vegan food to mollify the compassionate eaters of rochester.

therestaurantwas way too noisy, and the food was way too expensive to taste so very bad. by way of comparison, the blossoming lotus in portland, or charges roughly twenty dollars less for the same meal (two appetizers and two entrees) for astoundingly larger portions of way better food. it is largely an insult to veg*ns to put the word "vegan" on the menu just so we have "something" to eat. we want more than just something to eat.

we want something good to eat.

skip lento. drive the two hours to syracuse and eat at strong hearts cafe. you still make out ahead even with the cost of gas.

hit or miss. love the idea of thisrestaurantand, very often, the actual execution, but service is awkward and inconsistent (you're either inundated with people or go for long periods of time with no one showing up at your table). like all creative endeavors, the chef is sometimes right on the money and sometimes quite off, but all in all, i'd rather take my chances that there'll be something interesting and fresh than go with a 'safe'restaurantwhere i know i'll get boring, boring, boring. i hope they sort out their front of the house issues. it would be a shame to see them fail because of that...

speechless!. i am simply speechless after another lovely experience at lento last night. let me break it all down so your mouth can water...

we started at the bar with some fresh squeezed and muddled cocktails that were an absolute delight on a warm day. then once we got to our table we enjoyed the chef's boudin which is pate in a sausage style with some extremely fresh oysters and an appetizer of the best grape leaves i have ever tasted.

for entrees we shared their grilled chicken with ricotta and apricot gnocchi, mushrooms and sauteed greens. whatever sauce they used was a perfect compliment to the grilled meat. we also enjoyed the vegetarian crepes stuffed with potatoes, ricotta and spinach which came with a delightfully spicy picalilli sauce.

the creativity and twists on classics makes thisrestaurantoutstanding. the service was perfectly paced and pleasant. we love to support local people and products and find lento to be the best way to do so.

it is a true surprise for rochester to have such unparalleled dining.


-----13 dec, 2008-----

fresh and local. i have had the opportunity to eat at lento many times and have never been dissatisfied. all of the food is made from scratch, with mostly local ingredients, both of which are important to me when dining out. i also need to mention here that they have the best cocktails in town, certainly a hidden secret still. i recommend to anyone to go and have one of their specialty cocktails and some appetizers at the bar. i was in the other evening and enjoyed a hot buttered pear, which was delightful on a cold rochester night. the prices vary which means i can make the experience as casual or fine dining as i would like- even the vegetarian options could make any carnivore very happy!

easily my favorite place in town!